


Gammahammer

by Nanerich



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Drunkenness, M/M, Tony Is a Good Bro, and bruce loves him, gammahammer - Freeform, he loves bruce so much, thor is super sweet, worst dad of the year goes to brian banner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-24 08:49:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20703221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nanerich/pseuds/Nanerich
Summary: After Thor comes home a little drunk, the ensuing fight has him wonder: why is Bruce shutting him out? It turns out there is a reason Bruce never drinks and stays away from alcohol if he can help it; and Thor no longer thinks his dad is the worst to have graced either of their planets.





	Gammahammer

Thor didn’t get what the big deal was. So, he was a little drunk! Loki, Brunnhilde and himself went on a little Asgardians-outing and obviously there was beer and mead. He had asked Bruce to join them, but he preferred to stay at home, so there was no reason for Bruce to be upset with him.

But nonetheless, when he got home, Bruce barely spoke three sentences, no, he didn’t speak them as much as he grumbled them. Normally, Thor would have attributed it to exhaustion, he had spent all day in the lab after all, if it weren’t for the almost hulk-like growling and the slight green shimmer on his face.

“Come on, dear, it is not the first time I have been drunk, dear.”

“Don’t ‘dear’ me.”

“Excuse me.” He half-heartedly rose his hands.

“Don’t scoff.”

“Wow, for a man with seven phds, you truly are eloquent”, Thor remarked drily.

If looks could kill, Thor would have been in a tough spot. However, Bruce did not need laser-vision, as the dangerously green pulsing vein on his neck reminded Thor.

“Please, dear”, he tried to appease Bruce, “it is not like you have never seen me inebriated…”

“But that was at the compound”, he yelled, “at one of Tony’s parties, never at…” his voice broke, and he took a deep breath before continuing: “it was never at home. Our home.” He almost choked on the last words.

Oh no, he would not guilt-trip Thor into some obedient pet! “Are you serious? Now that we live together, I cannot go out with my brother, my friends and enjoy a jug of mead? What, don’t you trust me? Do you think I would do something stupid, that I would lose control?” He got more and more worked up, felt his voice growing louder.

“Thor, no, that’s…”

“Don’t interrupt me!”, Thor yelled as he jumped up from the couch.

He almost expected the Big Guy to come out, but instead all the green from Bruce’s face disappeared as he flinched and took a few steps back, looking afraid, eyes wide and his lips pressed together.

No, that’s not what Thor wanted. He took two steps towards Bruce, lowering his voice again. “Bruce, dear, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

Bruce held his shaking hands up. “Don’t, just… don’t.”

With that he turned around, disappeared in their bedroom, cautiously closing the door behind him. Huh, Thor actually expected him to slam it shut with a big bang, maybe even locking it. But nothing, no sounds of keys turning, no angry grunts and yells from either Bruce or Hulk!

Thor fell back on the couch, admittedly perplexed. Mhm, he couldn’t imagine that him having a drink would cause Bruce to be that angry at him. Had something else happened?

After a while, Thor made his way to the bedroom. The lights were already off, which was unusual: normally, Bruce would still be reading, and they never went to sleep without a good night-kiss. But Bruce was already tucked in, his back turned to Thor, who wasn’t sure whether he was awake or already asleep. Nonetheless, he whispered: “sleep well, beloved!”

Maybe all they needed was a good night’s sleep and everything would be alright in the morning.

But when Thor woke up the next day, he could tell that this hope proofed wrong.

“Bruce? Darling?” Calling for his boyfriend, he walked around the flat, not finding Bruce but a bottle of water, some Aspirin and a note reading: _Stay hydrated! – Bruce_

Oh no. He was really mad at Thor. Normally, there’d be a _‘love you’ _or maybe calling Thor a petname. If he was being honest, Thor wasn’t exactly sure what it was that he did wrong. Yes, he shouldn’t have started angrily yelling while drunk. Whatever it was, though, he needed to make it right again.

So, about two hours later, Thor got to the Avenger’s compound, a huge basket in his hands, filled with all of Bruce’s favourite candies, flowers, the fancy coffee he liked and even a little poem, Thor wrote over breakfast. And now, he stood in front of the laboratory doors, which were not opening for him.

“Hello, dear lady of the ceiling, would you be so kind as to open the doors for me?”

“Hello Thor, I am sorry, but your admission has been restricted, I cannot grant you access.”

“Pardon me?” That was a new one. Sure, he didn’t work there, but he has never been locked out of these rooms before! “Why, though?”

“On request of Dr. Bruce Banner.”

“Oh.” He did not expect that. That hurt. “Did… did he say, why?”

“I am to tell you that he needs a bit of distance, to work through some things. He asks you to respect his needs.”

Thor was completely taken aback. Was his drunkenness that bad?

“Would you please give him a message from me?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you. Uhm, please tell him that I am so sorry for upsetting him. I never meant to hurt him, yell at him, and… Whatever he needs, I am right here, because I love him so, so much!”

“I will tell him.”

“Thank you, Lady FRIDAY.”

Thor slid down the walls. He was hurt, yes, deeply ashamed, but most of all he was worried. Bruce never shut him out! He did carry a lot of pain, of anxiety with him, but he never hid anything from Thor; that’s what made their relationship; the mutual respect of their losses and traumas, they both had plenty of those, after all. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, stewing in their own misery, they were there for each other, talked about it if desired or just held each other.

And that’s why Thor was so worried! If Bruce would tell him, what upset him, Thor would do anything, to make up for it!

“Lady FRIDAY, please tell Bruce that I left a little something out here for him.”

“I will let him know.”

“Much obliged.”

Thor got back up, neatly arranging the flowers and sweets, before setting the basket down in front of the door. A bit indecisive, Thor shifted from one foot to the other. He didn’t want to leave Bruce, he wanted to be here for him, but he also had to respect his wish for privacy.

Eventually, he walked away, heading slowly towards the kitchen, where he fell on a chair and dropped his head on the table.

“I know, you Asgardians go hard, but Hilde and Loki don’t look that bad…” Stark walked in, and patted his shoulder, before heading for the coffeemaker.

“Stark, have you spoken to Bruce today?”

“Not really… I briefly saw him this morning, but I think he went straight to his lab. Why”, he sat down opposite him, grinning widely, “trouble in paradise?” His face dropped though, when Thor looked up at him. “Shit, what’s up?”

“I don’t know. We had a fight last night when I got home a little drunk and now he is shutting me out. Stark, I just love him so much and want to make good on what I did to him.” He buried his face in his hands, feeling the heat rising up in his face. He hated this feeling of helplessness!

“I worry that I might have scared him”, Thor admitted after taking a deep breath.

“Did Bruce ever tell you about his dad?”

“Not much”, Thor shook his head, “only that he wasn’t a good man and has died many years ago.”

Stark talked in a soft voice: “There’s a lot that happened, that Bruce should tell you about himself, if he wants to. But what you should probably know is that Brian Banner was a drunk, who abused his wife and his son in the worst ways, including beating Bruce’s mum to death, right in front of Bruce.”

“Oh god.” It was dead-silent between the two men. Thor didn’t know what to think. To imagine what his love has had to endure, carrying these memories with him…

“Why did he never tell me?”, he asked quietly, more to himself than to Stark. “Oh, I am a horrible person!”, he sobbed after a few more moments of silence.

“No, no, come on.” Stark’s voice was calm. “I am sure that Bruce is not blaming you. He just needs some time to deal with these memories resurfacing…”

“But I am to blame! I raised my voice at him, I continued fighting after he told me to stop… I…”, he stared at the table, feeling the shame rising. “I would not want to be around me either.”

“Listen, Thor, just give him some time.” Stark walked over to him and put his hand on Thor’s shoulder. “He will come to you, when he is ready, I am sure of it. He loves you after all.”

“Thank you for the advice, friend.”

With a nod, Tony left Thor by himself in the kitchen.

Well, two options presented themselves: either, he could stay here, wallow in self-pity, or he could make sure that home, their home, felt like one.

“Lady FRIDAY, would you please tell Bruce that I love him, that I am immeasurably sorry for causing him pain and that I hope to talk to him tonight.”

“The message is sent.”

“Thank you, dear ceiling.”

With that, Thor headed home, spending the rest of the day making up their home as perfectly as he could. By the time he was finished, the apartment was cleaner than ever before, everything smelled like the cookies he just got out of the oven, he got flowers and cooked a – if he dare say so himself – perfect three-course meal.

And now he just had to wait. And hope that Bruce would actually come home and talk to Thor. If he was really lucky, Bruce might even be forgiving.

He sat at the table, lost in his thoughts, when a familiar voice brought him back to reality:

“If cold winds howl and rain pours down,  
All vibrant colours turn to brown,

To lift my spirits, there is but one place:  
The one where I see your beautiful face.”

Thor turned around, seeing Bruce leaning against the doorway, reading Thor’s poem.

“It’s you, dear Bruce, I truly adore,  
Cannot get enough, all I want is more,

More of that amazingly quick brain,  
Your smarts and wits that drive me insane.

More of your smile that brightens my day,  
That glint in your eyes that lights my way.

I would scream it, shout it, from the rooftops I’d sing:  
I love you, Bruce, more than anything!”

Bruce looked over at Thor, who glanced up, a little sheepishly. He tried to read Bruce’s face, but he did not show any emotions. There was so much that Thor wanted to tell him, how sorry he was for last night, how sorry he was for his dad, how much he loved him… But it was not his place to start, to lead the conversation. Whatever were to happen next, it was on Bruce’s terms, what Bruce needed.

“I didn’t know you had such a knack for poetry…” Bruce sat down, opposite Thor.

“Well, you and the Avengers tell me I talk like Shakespeare, so…”

This earned him a chuckle. “I wouldn’t necessarily go as far as comparing you to the Bard himself, but it is beautiful. Thank you.”

They were silent for a moment; it was almost unbearable.

“Bruce, I’m sorry”, Thor blurted out, when he couldn’t take the silence anymore. “I didn’t know what I was doing to you, how it made you feel. Stark told me about your father… I had no idea, I am so sorry!”

Bruce dropped his head and rubbed his eyes. “Yeah, Tony told me you spoke. I don’t want to talk about it, not right now at least. I’m sorry that I kept it from you and subsequently got mad at you about something you couldn’t have known.”

“No, no, no, you don’t have to apologize for anything!” Thor held his hands out and with a smile, albeit a sad one, Bruce took them in his.

“I never want to hurt you, intentional or not. Or scare you. Or put you in any situation that makes you feel uncomfortable, unhappy, or brings up any old traumas or memories.” He squeezed Bruce’s hands, hoping it was received as reassuringly as he intended it to be. “I promise to never touch alcohol again.”

“No, Thor, you don’t have to stay away from drinking.”

“Your trust is so much more important for me.”

“Thor, dear, you didn’t lose my trust! Last night just brought up a lot of… memories…, too overwhelming, things, I had buried deep, things, that I… I never… It doesn’t matter, not now anyways.”

“It’s alright, darling, you don’t have to explain yourself.” Slowly, Thor got up, kneeled next to Bruce and gently put his hand on his lap; carefully, as not to startle him. “Just know I’m here. Always.”

A tired smile played over Bruce’s lips and he cupped Thor’s face and placed a kiss on his forehead. “Today has been draining and as amazing as the food smells, I just want to go to bed.”

“I agree. The food shall still be good tomorrow.”

Thor got up and pulled Bruce to his feet. And half an hour later they lay in bed; Bruce’s back not turned, but curled against Thor and swiftly fell asleep in his arms.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Bruce couldn’t deny that their relationship had changed. Not for worse, by no means. And not in a big way either: an outsider wouldn’t notice the changes between them, it was clearer in the quiet moments between the two; reassuringly squeezing his hands, caressing his arm, encouraging nods and winks. None of that was particularly new, Thor was an affectionate boyfriend, but somehow, he managed to fill these little moments with even more love and fondness than before.

Long story short, Bruce couldn’t believe his luck to be with someone as wonderful as Thor and loved him more than he ever thought possible.


End file.
